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The present invention relates to the field of mechanical construction, and more particularly to an improved electronic component case apparatus and associated method for construction thereof. The predominant current usage of the present inventive computer monitor case apparatus and method is in the construction of a partially semi-transparent computer monitor housing, wherein the simplicity and lack of obtrusive support structures is desirable both mechanically and aesthetically.
In the design of an electronic component housing, such as the housing for a computer monitor, it is desirable to have a structure which is rigid, and yet wherein the structures which provide such rigidity are not obtrusive. The parts of the housing should align well with each other, and the means for fastening such parts together should not mar the clean lines of the external structure. Also, the case should be easy to assemble, and inexpensive to manufacture. Such objectives have been difficult enough in much of the prior art, and the research continues as to how best to achieve all of the objectives. Moreover, the now popular trend toward translucent and semi-transparent case structures further complicates these issues. In an opaque case structure, ribs, bosses, and the like, which contribute to rigidity can be readily disbursed about the interior of the case structure without marring the appearance thereof. However, in a translucent case, care must be taken as to the placement of such structures even on the inside of the case, as they will likely show through to the exterior. In the past, it has been the conventional practice to construct monitor housings from opaque materials such that it has been easy to conceal whatever attachment means and/or rigidity means are employed. However, it has recently become popular to construct the housings of electronic devices, such as monitors, from colored transparent materials so that the working components of the devices are visible through the housing. While this is primarily an aesthetic improvement, it has a distinctly functional aspect. That is, in the effort to make monitors and the like, more aesthetically pleasing (and thus more marketable) it is important to retain mechanical integrity and strength in the product.
It would be desirable to have a case structure which is easily assembled, well aligned, rigid, and strong, and yet in which the features which provide these advantages are not readily visible, even when the case is constructed from a translucent or semi-transparent material. However, to the inventor""s knowledge, no such case structure has existed in the prior art. To the inventor""s knowledge, no method has existed in the prior art which effectively retains the aesthetic aspects of a clear monitor housing, while retaining mechanical strength sufficient to produce a reliable product. All methods which might have previously been used have either presented unsightly blemishes visible through the monitor housing, or else have been insufficiently strong and rigid, or else have been too expensive to employ, or some combination of these problems.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a case structure which is rigid and strong.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a case structure which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and to assemble.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a case that is aesthically pleasing, and relatively free from visible support and rigidity features.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a computer monitor case which is constructed, at least partially, from a translucent material, and yet in which rigidity and fastening features are not obtrusively visible through such translucent material.
Briefly, an embodiment of the present invention is a computer monitor housing having an interior subframe and a plurality of external case components affixed thereto. The external case components have rigidity provided by the general shape and by edge flanges thereof. No reinforcement structures are provided in each of the external case components, except around the edges thereof. The reinforcement flanges around the edges of the external case components have a plurality of alignment features for aligning the external case components to each other and to the subframe. Further, the reinforcement flanges also have fastening features for attaching the external case components to each other and to the subframe. The assembled computer monitor case is rigid and well aligned, and yet it is aesthetically pleasing, in large part due to the fact that all rigidity, alignment, and fastening features are located at the edges of the individual external case components, where they are not very noticeable from the outside of the computer monitor case.
An advantage of the present invention is that there are no ribs or bosses on the surface of external case components.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a housing will be aesthetically pleasing and free from unsightly blemishes as viewed from the outside of the housing.
A further advantage of the present invention is that a computer monitor housing is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a computer monitor housing is mechanically strong and structurally rigid.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description of modes of carrying out the invention, and the industrial applicability thereof, as described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawing. The objects and advantages listed are not an exhaustive list of all possible advantages of the invention. Moreover, it will be possible to practice the invention even where one or more of the intended objects and/or advantages might be absent or not required in the application.
Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that various embodiments of the present invention may achieve one or more, but not necessarily all, of the above described objects and advantages. Accordingly, the listed advantages are not essential elements of the present invention, and should not be construed as limitations.